Williams and Kerber, who have both formerly held the world No. 1 ranking, last faced each other in the 2016 Wimbledon final, which Williams won 7-5, 6-3. Williams holds a 6-2 advantage in their eight meetings, with Kerber's last win coming in the 2016 Australian Open final, 6-4, 3-6, 6-4.

"The last time I played here in the final was against her," Williams said of Kerber to the BBC in her postmatch off-court interview. "She's clearly a really good grass court player. She's been going in the draw really well. I love watching her play. I get to watch her play. Whatever happens, it's an incredible effort for me and good motivation for the rest of my career."

Williams is seeking her eighth Wimbledon title and 24th Grand Slam win, while Kerber will play for her third Grand Slam and first since the 2016 US Open. Williams is 23-6 in major finals.

"I know that I have to play my best, best tennis to beat her, especially on the grass, on the Centre Court, where she won so many titles here," Kerber said of Williams. "I'm looking forward to playing against her. I mean, it's always an honor to play against her."

Williams is playing in just her fourth tournament since sitting out a year because of her pregnancy. Her run through Wimbledon this year has included five straight-set victories.

Williams is now 92-10 at Wimbledon.

"It's crazy, I don't know how to feel," Williams said. "Literally didn't expect to do this well in my fourth tournament back in 16 months. I just feel like when I don't have anything to lose I play so free. It's kind of what I'm doing.

"This is not inevitable for me. I had a really tough delivery and had to have multiple surgeries, almost didn't make it, to be honest. I remember I couldn't even walk to my mailbox. It's definitely not normal for me to be in a Wimbledon final."

After each holding serve through the first four games of the first set, Williams claimed four in a row from Goerges in dominant fashion. The second set seemed it would follow the same formula, with Williams seizing a 5-2 lead after starting 2-2, but Goerges rallied to win the eighth and ninth games.

Williams recovered in the 10th, though, breaking Goerges to claim the victory.

Williams had 16 winners, including five aces, in the match, while Goerges had 20 winners.

If Williams, currently ranked 181st after her time away, wins Saturday's final, she has a chance to return to the top 20 of the rankings.

Like Williams, Kerber has dropped just one set in her six matches. She survived 30 winners from Ostapenko, who was undone by 36 unforced errors.